“Mister Oonuki, how many explorations does this make?”
“Six if I’m not mistaken?”
“Yes. Only the sixth. Don’t you think you’re living a very full life?”
“I do.”
Yes. It’s me, Sawaki, a regular employee of the Seeker Association. It was my day off, but I was called for an emergency meeting when I was binging the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen on Webflix, so I gave up on my rest and went straight to the Seeker Association. I’m a twenty-four year old lady who can’t wait to go back to see Goshou Paisen when he was younger. It’s rough out here.
The reason why I was called is one of the seekers I’m in charge of, Oonuki.
He wants to make a name for himself after his former workplace’s bankruptcy rendered him unemployed… That is the ill-advised dream that brought this old man into this occupation.
Well, people are free to have dreams, have them broken, and achieve them… Or at least I would like to believe, but he keeps taking the shortest routes to success. Is it raw talent? He just looks like an old man.
Normally, when I’m in charge of a seeker, we don’t really interact after the first greeting, other than doing office work.
We are their point of contact with the Seeker Association when something happens, and something happened. The more I hear about it the more my head hurts.
First, it happened today at eleven fifty-eight. A seeker probe left inside the dungeon in the Yoshikawa Gate detected a tremor. And since there was risk of a cave-in, employees and adventurers were gathered, and there was about to be an investigation, when Mister Oonuki returned.
According to him, he found and explored an area hidden in the E type ruins. Then he came across a fairy type magic beast calling herself the fairy queen, that emerged from a flower growing from a large tree. Then the tree began to collapse, destroying the ruins since it was supporting them. Mister Oonuki managed to escape thanks to the fairy type magic beast using Teleport.
His testimony matches the footage he brought. The AI declared him not guilty, so he has been acquitted. Well, he was being voluntarily questioned, to be precise.
He also brought back a four-armed doll. A guard type humanoid magic tool called four hands. These are sometimes found in ruins thought to be related to military affairs, and can be reworked into being usable by us.
Their knives and armor don’t have any special effects, but Mister Oonuki was happy to hear they can be stabilized, and are quite durable.
The fairy type familiar shows no issues either. Well, she talks, but… Talking familiars exist, the rare part is her fluency. I told Mister Oonuki, the association might have questions for him later.
“…That is it for now. You will be paid an information fee after close investigation of the footage you provided. Please check it then.”
“Very well. But what footage am I being paid for?”
“The part where your familiar Tina first spoke is very valuable. Based on what she did later, it seemed she was trying to get you to do something, and this could be an important step towards understanding otherworlder language.”
“Ah, I see. I’m pretty sure she was urging me to form the familiar contract.”
“Yes. Also, I don’t believe footage of that hidden area can be made public.”
“Ahh, is it that dangerous?”
He tilts his head, but that place appeared to be taboo for otherworlders. I saw it too, and had to sign a few documents regarding information leakage.
“There is a good chance they were performing experiments on living beings, including humans. If word of this gets out, it could be a problem. Remember the uproar about slavery among otherworlders? Such a mess could happen again…”
“I see. It’s a delicate problem. I understand.”
He says as he nods.
After signing a non-disclosure agreement and a pledge to stop information from leaking, he leaves. I’m glad he wasn’t arrested. I don’t want a seeker I’m in charge of to be a criminal.
Still, Tina and Lucky are cute. Too bad I’m at work and can’t spend more time with them.
In any case, I did what I had to do
Now I can go back and watch Jujutsu Kaisen… Eh, no? I have to examine the information and write a report, and notify every branch? What is this, a black company!?
———————————
The man was let go. He never committed a crime, so he is free.
And now a fairy has joined the ranks of the man with a puppet soldier.
What does the flower blooming on the silent doll mean? Only the fairy knows.
Thanks for the treat.